Canada's Safest Employers awards recognize companies from all across Canada with outstanding accomplishments in promoting the health and safety of their workers. The program boasts 10 industry-specific safety awards and four special awards.

The COS Safety Leader of the Year recognizes an individual who best exemplifies leadership and vision in the world of OHS in Canada. Co-workers, employees, bosses or anyone can submit a nomination for a deserving leader.

Blanket protection

November 10, 2011

A new line of industrial heat-resistant blankets has been introduced by Torch Wear. The blankets are designed to protect workers from severe heat injuries from molten metal splash, metal-cutting, welding, arc flash or potential exposure to intense heat. This personal protective equipment has applications in the nuclear, automotive, heat treating, military, primary metals, foundry and metal fabrication industries. Torch Wear Ultimate Blankets are made with patented CarbonX flame resistant fabric, which when exposed to intense heat or flame will carbonize and then expand, dramatically reducing the oxygen content within the fabric. Unlike many of the most widely used fire-retardant fabrics currently available, CarbonX will not char, shrink or burn when exposed to heat and flame, the company said. CarbonX fabric is not a chemically treated material. Rather, it is a yarn created by spinning oxidized polyacrylonitrile fiber with an Aramid strengthening agent. The blankets provide two layers of Carbonex fabric protection and a layer of durable Twaron aramid fiber to provide abrasion resistance. They can be employed as firewalls, and insulation. Torch Wear blankets also offer protection from electrical arc explosion. When used as an arc suppression blanket, they can provide a barrier from peripheral arcs, and have been rated to over 100 cal/cm2, NFPA 70E.www.torchwear.com